Time-Recording Design Objects Inspired by Water’s Various States — Core77

A slightly more art driven project rather than function, but this caught my eye and put a smile on my face.

Pairing the flawless duo of marble and metal finishes with clean, contemporary geometries creates an intruiging to say the least aesthetic. As well as being easy on the eye, these products also have a unique but almost warming function. It’s as if the way in which they function brings back a sense of creation and life cycle, reminding us of the world we were brought up in and how we should respect it’s overwhelming beauty and wonder.

Second-Drop

We gave the seconds’ motion a metaphor of water drops dripping and built a structure resembling a water garden. Within the view, there are piling stones and a highlight of a bamboo kakei. One water drop dripping into the kaikei symbolizes one second passing by. Sixty seconds later, the kakei will pour out the water it has collected and bounce back with a crystal-clear sound, announcing a minute has passed.

Minute-Mist

We interpreted the minute’s motion into a relationship of mountains and mist. Each mountain represents ten minutes. From the shortest to the tallest, there is a sequential order within these mountains. The shortest peak will be filled with mist in the first ten minutes, and the tallest will be the last. Within an hour, all mountains will be filled, referring to a natural scene of mist growing thicker and thicker. It will gradually stop filling up, and the mist will start fading away, clearing the air in reference to a natural mountain scene.

Hour-frost

We chose ice picks as our main focus and set the object up for a twelve hour motion. Starting at 12 pm, the frost gradually begins to cover the brass pick’s root and continues to thicken into ice. Twelve hours later, at 12 am, it stops freezing and starts to melt, hinting at an end of a day. The water then turns into frost all over again, and a new day begins.

I really admire the way that the designers have created a range of products to indirectly and subtly introduce nature back into contemporary homes. They have taken the raw process of changing liquid matter in each stage to represent something intangible, time.

Below are a couple of videos created by the team showcasing what inspired each product and how they work. Beautifully shot and documented, taking you through the elements of nature, with the only words being the title.